DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS: Wednesday, November 13, 2019 (5pm)

Purpose

The UC Network on Child Health, Poverty and Public Policy invites proposals from graduate students for its 2019-2020 Small Grants Competition. This network seeks to fund research that will expand our understanding of the causes and consequences of child health disparities, and the effectiveness of related interventions.  The goal of this program is to fund proposals that display sound research design and have the potential for high impact.  The network anticipates funding three to four proposals, with a maximum of $4,000 per award. 

About the UC Network on Child Health, Poverty and Public Policy

The UC Network on Child Health, Poverty and Public Policy (CHPPP), begun in 2019, is one of 16 new collaborative research projects funded by the University of California Office of the President, aiming to leverage the world-renowned research capabilities of the UC system to develop real world solutions to significant problems facing our state and world.  The CHPPP network includes experts from UC Davis, Berkeley, Irvine, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Francisco who have a shared goal of shifting from fragmented, discipline-specific approaches of studying childhood disparities to a multidisciplinary, comprehensive understanding of how health and nutrition programs affect the health and development of disadvantaged children.

About the Graduate Student Training Grants

We seek proposals for research connected to our core research theme.  Projects using either qualitative or quantitative data sources are eligible for funding.  Funding may be used for data acquisition, software, research related travel, or for other justified research needs.

Terms of Funding                          

The following terms apply:

1. Applicants for small grants must be graduate students enrolled in one of the CHPPP network campuses.
2. Funding will begin on approximately December 15, 2019 and funded activities must be completed by August 15, 2019.A final report will be due no later than September 1, 2020. No-cost extensions will not be allowed.
3. Receipt of a small grant will require a commitment by the recipient to:

• Present the results of the research project at the UC Davis Center for Poverty Research Graduate Student Retreat in September 2020. Travel expenses will be paid by the Center and should not be included in the project budget.
• Produce a journal oriented paper, or a five page final report by September 1, 2020.

4. Funded scholars will be expected to acknowledge support from the UC Network on Child Health, Poverty and Public Policy with the following language:

“Funding for this project was made possible in part with funding from the UC Network on Child Health, Poverty and Public Policy provided through the UC Office of the President’s Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives.”

5. The budget period will be December 15, 2019 to September 1, 2020.The maximum award is $4,000.

6. Direct questions concerning your proposal to povertycenter@ucdavis.edu.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by an interdisciplinary team of network affiliates. Proposals will be evaluated based upon several factors, including:

• Relevance to the network’s research focus
• Extent to which research builds on the cross-disciplinary skills and knowledge, especially as provided at the network’s summer school
• Soundness of the research design, potential impact, and likelihood of success
• Qualifications of the graduate student 
• Appropriateness of budget compared to project goals
• Balance of grantees between methods, topics and across disciplines

Application Instructions

Proposals must be received by 5 PM Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, November 13, 2019.

Applicants should submit their proposal as a single PDF that includes the required elements in the order listed below:

1. Title page with the researcher’s name, institutional affiliation, department affiliation, email address, years since entering the program, and abstract.
2. The abstract should be 300 words or less and describe how the project relates to the network’s research theme and what the unique contribution of the research will be.
3. A project narrative not to exceed 5 double spaced pages (excluding figures, references, and budget). The narrative should (1) clearly describe specific aims and their research and policy significance, (2) very briefly summarize the relevant literature, (3) fully describe the research design, proposed methodology and data sources, and (4) indicate how the proposed analyses will be useful to policy and address existing gaps in the relevant literature. Long literature reviews should not be submitted. Particular emphasis should be given to items (3) & (4).
4. An itemized budget and a budget narrative that explains each line item.
5. A project timeline listing specific milestones for study completion. The timeline must be within the period from December 15, 2019 through September 1, 2020.
6. Curriculum vitae for all investigators.
7. A timely plan for obtaining IRB approval or exemption for human subjects research. UC Davis will not process the grant without a statement of IRB exemption/approval.
8. A short (not to exceed one page) letter of recommendation in support of the graduate student and the proposal from a faculty member at the student’s institution.

Proposals and letters of recommendation should be emailed to povertycenter@ucdavis.edu.